Silver lining

Irish see success of Maui trip

Irish see success of Maui trip

November 28, 2008|By TOM NOIE Tribune Staff Writer

LAHAINA, Hawaii -- Doubts about the direction of the Notre Dame men's basketball program did not escort the team bus down the lava hill that houses the Lahaina Civic Center. Earlier Wednesday evening, the No. 8 Irish had dropped a 102-87 game to top-ranked North Carolina in the championship of the 25th annual EA Sports Maui Invitational. The Tar Heels controlled the contest from the midway point of the first half, when their athleticism and depth and speed and savvy were simply too much for even a veteran group of Irish. "We lost control of it a little bit," said coach Mike Brey. "We were digging out of a hole the whole game." Unlike last March, when Notre Dame's bus rolled away from the Pepsi Center and into a snowy Denver night following a 20-point loss to Washington State in the second round of the NCAA tournament, there was no wondering how it all went wrong, and if the Irish could eventually make it right. They know now what it takes to compete at the level of the game's elite. The challenge will be to match that intensity and aggressiveness, and to get more veterans to do it on a nightly basis. "We know we're a very good team," said senior captain Kyle McAlarney. "I just think there are some things to address. The first two days of this tournament, we were men. "We're not at North Carolina's level yet, but we can be." If a red flag was raised during Wednesday's game, it had nothing to do with high waves rolling off the nearby Pacific Ocean. One consistent concern has been who else steps forward with a steady stream to help Luke Harangody and McAlarney? Tory Jackson has done that early in the year. The three were the only Irish to score double figures in each game in Maui. Jackson was spectacular the first two nights, not so much against a quicker Ty Lawson. Harangody was every bit the All-American against Indiana and Texas, but was slowed by flu-like symptoms against Ty Hansbrough. Even with a healthy Harangody, the Irish may not have stayed within single digits. McAlarney arrived on the island having hit only two 3-pointers in his first two games. He erupted for 21 over three games, including a school-record 10 and a career-high 39 points against Carolina. "I just felt good," he said. Who else can feel good shooting and scoring on a given night? Who knows. Notre Dame's success is predicated on one simple rule of play -- make shots. Lots of them. The Irish aren't going to sail through the air for rebound dunks. They're not going to muscle past guys in the paint for loose balls and put-backs. They're not going to attack in waves of fresh bodies. They're shot-makers. For the Irish to succeed this weekend, next month and into the next calendar year, veterans Ryan Ayers, Jonathan Peoples and Luke Zeller have to hit shots. Especially open shots. The three combined Wednesday to go 8-of-26 from the floor, 4-for-16 from 3. Ayers scored 13 points against Indiana, then had six and six the next two games. He spent a stretch of Wednesday's second half on the bench. Zeller fouled out and Peoples missed all four of his first-half shots, including two lay-ups. Some of those fall, and it's a different game. All three are upperclassmen. All have craved a bigger slice. Now they have to deliver for the Irish to succeed. It can't be one game here, another game later there. That makes it difficult for a three-man attack to beat anybody of Carolina's caliber. "We're going to have to make a few more jump-shots," Brey said. "That's who we are. You've got to get that. "We need Jon; we need Ryan. More juice there. We're going to need that every night." And need a few more defensive stops. Just over 24 hours earlier, No. 8 Notre Dame (4-1) beat No. 6 Texas because the Irish limited the Longhorns ability to do something in the paint. Carolina then treated the lane as its luxury, where it scored 52 of their 102 points. "That's disappointing for all of us," Brey said. Still, the long trip here will not lead to any long faces. Tired? Yes. But somewhat satisfied after Notre Dame stomped Indiana and took down Texas. Those efforts cannot be forgotten even though North Carolina offered an indication how high the bar is raised. That will help Notre Dame move forward. "You can learn from it," Brey said. "I feel good coming out of here." NORTH CAROLINA (6-0): Danny Green 4-9 0-0 8, Deon Thompson 8-12 3-3 19, Tyler Hansbrough 13-19 7-7 34, Ty Lawson 7-10 7-7 22, Wayne Ellington 3-8 0-0 8, Marc Campbell 1-1 0-0 2, Bobby Frasor 2-2 0-0 5, Larry Drew II 0-3 1-2 1, Will Graves 0-1 0-0 0, J.B. Tanner 0-0 0-0 0, Justin Watts 0-0 0-0 0, Jack Wooten 0-0 0-0 0, Ed Davis 1-5 1-2 3, Patrick Moody 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 39-70 19-21 102. NOTRE DAME (4-1): Zach Hillesland 2-6 1-2 5, Luke Harangody 6-12 1-2 13, Tory Jackson 4-7 1-2 10, Kyle McAlarney 12-26 5-5 39, Randy Ayers 2-8 0-0 6, Tyrone Nash 0-0 0-0 0, Jonathan Peoples 3-9 0-0 7, Carleton Scott 0-1 0-0 0, Luke Zeller 3-9 0-0 7. Totals 32-78 8- 11 87. Halftime -- North Carolina 46-36. 3-Point Goals -- North Carolina 5-13 (Ellington 2-4, Frasor 1-1, Hansbrough 1-2, Lawson 1-2, Drew II 0-1, Graves 0-1, Green 0-2), Notre Dame 15-36 (McAlarney 10-18 , Ayers 2-7, Jackson 1-1, Peoples 1-3, Zeller 1-6, Scott 0-1). Fouled Out -- Zeller. Rebounds -- North Carolina 44 (Thompson 13), Notre Dame 36 (Harangody 7). Assists -- North Carolina 19 (Lawson 11), No tre Dame 20 (McAlarney 6). Total Fouls -- North Carolina 14, Notre Dame 18. A -- 2,500.